Small towns have trouble attracting leaders and are saddled with increasing responsibilities, but efforts to help struggle to even get a hearing in the Capitol.
Rural Michigan
Posted inBusiness Watch
As family farms decline, more Michigan farmers trying to preserve their land
The number of family-owned farms is on the decline, but the share of farms in preservation programs is on the upswing.
Posted inMichigan Government
She investigated Michigan Indian boarding schools — and found her family
A soon-to-be published book chronicles a Michigan journalist’s journey to uncover her family’s history in the state’s notorious Indian boarding schools.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Online pharmacies aid rural health care but threaten Michigan drugstores
While mail-in prescription orders have been an answer for growing pharmacy deserts, officials say the companies behind those services help cause closures.
Posted inMichigan Government
Other states shrink local governments. Michigan law preserves archaic ‘mess’
Michigan has more local governments and puts more tasks on them than most other states. Other states have shrunk government, but Michigan law makes mergers or dissolving extremely difficult.
Posted inMichigan Government
Facing money woes, Michigan villages mull extreme solutions: ceasing to exist
Michigan has 252 villages. Some are older than the state and want to disband. Experts say that should set off alarms in Lansing.
Posted inMichigan Government
Rural Michigan in crisis: Too many governments that too few want to lead
Many of Michigan’s nearly 1,500 townships and villages are run by part-time retirees in their 80s who are begging for help. The system is frayed and, without reform, communities could falter. Lansing isn’t coming to rescue.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Massive data center wins local tax break — but 9 times smaller than requested
‘The Barn’ asked Saline Township for a $147M tax break, after boosting the data center’s value by 9 times from the original request. The township OK’d a cut — but dialed back the amount.
Posted inOutdoors Life
Michigan bill legalizing backyard deer feeding passes, but bans could remain
Deer baiting and feeding has been banned in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula since 2018 to prevent disease spread. A new bill aims to change that, but even if it’s signed by the governor, feeding deer may not be allowed everywhere.
Posted inBusiness Watch
As data centers grow in Michigan, officials ask: How many tax breaks are enough?
Local tax abatements were created for manufacturers that create tons of jobs. As Saline Township is set to approve a local break worth $147 million a year, some ask if local breaks are appropriate for data centers.